Square Enix announced that Star Ocean: First Departure R, the HD remaster of the classic sci-fi RPG, will make its digital debut on December 5 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 will include a commemorative PlayStation 4 Theme and a digital mini soundtrack from the Star Ocean Live 2019 concert.

Originally released in the west on the PSP system, Star Ocean: First Departure R tells the story of a young swordsman, Roddick, and his companions who at first set off on a journey to find the cure to a deadly disease, which then spirals into an adventure that spans across the sea of stars. This HD remaster version includes the following features and boosts to enhance the experience:

Full Voiceover – Players can choose between the original full voice cast from the PSP system version of the game in either Japanese or English, or the newly recorded version, featuring the voice cast from the original Super Famicom version in Japanese, which was previously released in Japan only.

New Character Illustrations – Players can opt for the original character illustrations utilized in STAR OCEAN First Departure, or brand-new versions drawn by the famous illustrator Katsumi Enami (STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE).

Speed Mode – Players can speed up movement to traverse the world more quickly.
Adjusted Game Balance – Adjusted battle difficulty enabling players to enjoy more challenge in combat, a signature quality of the STAR OCEAN series.

Pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 system will include a commemorative PlayStation 4 Theme featuring some of the newly drawn character illustrations by Katsumi Enami and pixel art of the main characters (available immediately after pre-ordering), as well as a digital mini soundtrack from the STAR OCEAN Live 2019 concert (available when the game launches on December 5).